The Catholic Church of the Resurrection, clearly visible from I-205, is the culmination of over a decade of planning and design. The parish had been worshiping in a renovated horse stable. The new church created a community landmark and solved the need for a larger and more permanent place to worship.

The 14,000 SF church is entered through a pair of large wood paneled doors. The narthex, separated from the main worship space by the immersion baptismal font, allows full view into the nave with its maple pews, radiused to form an amphitheater arrangement that seats 750. Four polished concrete columns support the roof allowing for a column free nave under the asymmetrical roof form. Side aisles and the central aisle lead to the raised sanctuary space. Floor to ceiling windows along the north wall give access to the distant view, while the clerestory of windows along the south wall allows sunlight to filter into the space.

The exterior shape of the building is a direct response to forces of the site. To open the building up to the northern view beyond, the roof slopes up from the south to reach an interior height of 45 feet above the floor. A pop-up clerestory, pitched to the south, brings in sunlight and gives interior views up the hill to the evergreens outside. Finally, to insure that the space is high over the altar, the roof slopes up from the entry to a skylight high above the sanctuary space below. From the interior the dynamic roof appears to take flight in three directions; but from the outside the appearance of a simple single pitched roof is dominant. Finally, the building is wrapped in masonry, cedar board and batten, and stucco. These materials are used on the exterior to link the building to a northwest tradition of architecture. Ultimately, it’s that connection to the Pacific Northwest that gives this structure a sense of timeless design.